for Cannabis & Hemp

There’s no doubt that the cannabis industry is moving at a lightning pace, and as regulations and standards seem to be constantly changing, it can become challenging and expensive to keep up with it all. While things are generally moving in the right direction when it comes to legalization and quality benchmarks, any new guideline that growers must adhere to can bring with it a do-or-die type of mindset.

Not only are medical and recreational cannabis operations affected by these shifts in the industry, hemp can also bear the brunt of not being up to snuff, putting industry leaders in the tough position of having to spend even more time, money, and energy carefully scrutinizing their product. Let’s explore a bit of background when it comes to cultivating cannabis and uncover the primary way that the lives of growers can be made much simpler.

A Test You Can’t Study For

While many may argue against the FDA and DEA classifications, marijuana is not yet considered a pharmaceutical, and yet it has to undergo very specific testing and meet regulatory criteria before being purchased by consumers. While the 2018 Farm Bill is poised to change the nation’s viewpoints on hemp, the same strict standards apply. In this case any plant measuring above .3% THC cannot be utilized for nutraceutical purposes, and must be destroyed.

The process of undergoing this quality control is often outsourced to offsite labs, and it can take upwards to 5-7 business days to weeks before growing outfits receive their results. That means weeks and potentially months of their year are spent cultivating plants to the best of their ability, tapping into all of their experience and hoping that the cannabis gods will have mercy on them. Quality, consistency, and of course THC levels are all components that must come in within certain guidelines, particularly for hemp, or else crops may be destroyed by compliance organizations.

Technology Becomes Proactive

While there are certainly plenty of processes that growers can draw from in order to develop products that meet the high standards of multiple regulatory departments nationwide, there’s still an element of caution involved. Now imagine if these same experts could measure these key metrics during a plant’s growth cycle and receive their results instantly instead of playing the waiting game and spending large amounts of money on testing – wouldn’t that forever change the industry as we know it?

One of the groups leading this effort is Ionization Labs, a fast moving company that has created such a solution with a user-friendly interface for the layman operator. Their simple chemistry protocols take only a few hours to learn. “Our solution is not at all aimed to replace certification lab testing. In fact, we feel we could even augment throughput capabilities by utilizing our solution in their labs.” Says Alex Andrawes, CEO of Green Ocean Sciences, Inc./Ionization Labs.

With laboratory quality potency testing equipment, Ionization Labs offers a business solution that’s more powerful than many realize. Growth monitoring in the hemp industry ensures that your plants don’t go “hot” (above .3% THC) and can be completed using a plug and play process that delivers accurate results with ease, within 20 minutes.

Other products on the market may claim to offer some of the same benefits, but in reality, only Ionization Labs has a full understanding of the technology required to provide accurate results. Popular competitor options include utilizing UV light-based sensor techniques that leaves limited room for future adaptability, non repeatability, and also tends to skew one’s results based upon the method of data collection. By combining a team with backgrounds in business, science, technology and data analytics, experts in the industry agree that Green Ocean Sciences, Inc. has developed a groundbreaking platform that delivers accurate results time and time again.

Changing The Future

The cost savings alone are dramatic when you realize how Ionization Labs can provide data that influences growing decisions and removes the guesswork and waiting time that comes with utilizing offsite testing. Nothing is worse than spending $100 on a potency test, only to realize that your chemical data is now obsolete. Whether you’re a small growing operation that’s just getting its feet wet or you’re ready to expand your current operation, it’s products like ours that help to lower the barrier to entry and can permanently change the way that you run your business.

“Our cost-effective solution is comprised of ‘gold-standard’ HPLC hardware combined with proprietary software designed to offer real-time data that allows you to make decisions in a matter of minutes instead of constantly waiting days for QA/QC test results to return from the outside lab. Our potency testing solution is focused on a simple/low-cost data acquisition without sacrificing accuracy,” described Cree Crawford, President and COO at Green Ocean Sciences, Inc./Ionization Labs.

In the future, Ionization Labs will be releasing additional tools that take your data one step further with solvent and terpene screening, both through the use of user-friendly equipment that’s “simply accurate”. When the success of your business hinges upon the accuracy in which you cultivate your plants, why not use every tool possible to ensure your efforts don’t go to waste?

]]>CBN – Uncovering Yet Another of the Many Beneficial Cannabinoids Found in Cannabishttp://www.biotoxin.info/2018/11/05/cbn/
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CBN – Uncovering Yet Another of the Many

Beneficial Cannabinoids for Cannabis & Hemp

As research continues to uncover more and more about the chemical makeup of cannabis, industry experts are identifying specific elements of this plant that can make a significant difference in everyday ways. Many have already heard about cannabidiol, or CBD, one of the market’s more prominent ways to treat pain, but in fact, this compound is only one of many that can be utilized.

Depending on who you ask, there are at least 80 different cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant, with some sources noting up to 113 individual elements that can be isolated. Today we’re exploring one cannabinoid in particular, but first, let’s gain a greater understanding of just how these compounds work within our bodies and what makes them so unique.

What Is A Cannabinoid?

The cannabis plant is composed of a multitude of chemical compounds just like any other plant or living organism. These building blocks are called cannabinoids and are excreted from the plant. What makes a cannabinoid so special is the way it reacts in the human body, and this interaction with our brain chemistry is what has led so many to use cannabinoids as medicine.

In the 1980s, researchers discovered that we have specific receptors in our brains that trigger a neurotransmitter release. Not only does THC affect our psychological state as many have known for decades, but other singular elements in cannabis can also impact the way our body functions. In short, you can think of cannabinoids as a communication system within the brain, working to deliver messages between cells and helping to maintain health and proper functionality.

Popular Options

Many cannabis users may talk about THC without actually knowing that it is one of many cannabinoids. Rather than just acting as the substance responsible for your high, this chemical is working deep within the brain to emit a reaction. In the last several years, CBD has also made major headlines as a cannabinoid that has the potential for incredible medical applications.

CBD – Cannabidiol is often used to treat anxiety, relieve pain, help with inflammation, and much more. Individuals who are outspoken about their CBD use have even claimed that it reduces the symptoms of seizures and can help with cancer treatment. Presently, the Food and Drug Administration has not made any formal claims about CBD or the efficacy of any other cannabinoids, however, only time will tell before that changes.

The New Cool Kid on the Block – CBN

Perhaps the next big cannabinoid that individuals will see on dispensary shelves is CBN. Its full name is cannabinol and it can be compared to CBD in some ways. Cannabis users will note that like CBD, CBN can assist in the reduction of anxiety, relieves pain, and acts as an anti-bacterial. While more impactful benefits include the potential for bone cell growth and aiding in appetite stimulation, there’s one instance in which it is poised for tremendous value.

Cannabinol has also been found to harbor a strong sedative effect, and lab studies have shown that only 5 mg of CBN is just as effective as a 10 mg dose of diazepam, more commonly known by the brand name Valium. For individuals who struggle with insomnia, and even the stress and anxiety that often leads to nights of restless sleep, it’s hypothesized that a small amount of CBN can make a huge difference. While more research is certainly needed to ensure that this cannabinoid is being used effectively, the initial results are promising.

Aside from gaining a deeper understanding of the true value that CBN brings, it will also be essential to determine the best methods of consumption. Most marijuana flower on today’s market only contains trace amounts of CBN and is certainly not enough for users to notice any effects. Yet as cannabis oxidize with age, its THC actually converts to CBN. Rather than having to wait for this process to occur, industry experts are working diligently to expedite this process to create oils and edibles that will deliver the same therapeutic effects without a psychoactive high.

Moving Forward

The discovery of additional cannabinoids is exciting for industry officials and testing experts, including, Ionization Labs, a Green Ocean Sciences, Inc. company. As a leader in the cannabis testing field, the Ionization Labs team see an immense amount of potential for CBN. Rather than focusing efforts solely on the cultivation of THC-rich cannabis, cannabis growers can begin to fine-tune their plants in order to achieve maximum CBN potency. Ionization Labs is on the forefront of cannabis testing and business solutions, offering easy-to-use systems that give growers real-time data about their plants. By combining these methods with the increased awareness of CBN use in people’s daily lives, cultivators across the nation can continue to work toward developing cannabis products that offer immense value.

About the Author:

Cree Crawford is the President & Co-Founder of Ionization Labs, a Green Ocean Sciences, Inc. company. Ionization labs is committed to simplifying the testing process by developing testing and data analytics solutions that meet the needs of professional operators in the cannabis industry. Ionization Labs has created high-frequency/low-cost in-house testing solutions that are easy to use, affordable, and utilize the same technologies as state certification labs. They combined chemical analysis hardware platforms with proprietary industry specific software and a turn-key testing package subscription that delivers exceptional results. Crawford’s passion is cannabis education and he sees Ionization Labs’ data analytics testing solution as an industry platform that can perpetually help the industry with aggregation of chemical data acquisition.

Accurate designation and potency testing

Factors Cultivators Need to Understand

about Cannabis Potency Testing

At its core, you need to develop potency testing to acquire a compliance certificate from in an accredited laboratory. You also must be able to label your products well. After learning the basics, you can assist growers in the optimization of the level of potency in their crops. From Sage analytics, portable and high-quality cannabis potency testing is effective among the growers.

While this process is routine for cultivators, farmers must also understand the process. The process:

Potency testing should include CBD and THC in their active forms

Most tests measure the most significant cannabinoids. However, farmers need to test the acid forms too. They are naturally manufactured by the plant but they do not have the effects that the consumers need. The good news is that you can cultivate them through decarboxylation. Be it vaporization or smoking, you can successfully achieve the process. You can then develop minor cannabis potency testing in the laboratory.

1. Crop optimization through onsite testing

Marijuana potency is vital in the buying, trading, and selling of the crop. Besides, growers wish to get as much potency as possible from the crops grown. If you regularly practice marijuana testing, you can optimize your harvest easily, determining the nutrients, light, and water that affect the crop. You can also improve hemp cultivation and in-house cannabis quality control testing by following the provided cultivation procedures.

Both the cannabis business and the hemp industry employ testing as an in-house weapon. It helps them to choose the correct way to cultivate various strains in their crops. Through this process, they are able to get the desired results within a short time.

2. Accurate designation and potency testing

Hemp potency testing and CBD potency testing depend on the percentage and the weight. For example, if a consumer buys a chocolate bar, he is confident of a consistent dose because the chocolate has been mixed and divided into carefully measured sections. CBD production and hemp testing are vital because they insure that doses are consistent.